History Vaporware / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/TetrisTheGrandMaster 4: The Masters of Round'' was unveiled in 2009, but cancelled in 2010 after frustration over free-to-play Tetris clones. A similar game was shown off in 2015, reusing assets from the 2009 version, but very little has been said about it since.

* Vaporware is not a new phenomenon. Way back in the 8-bit days of 1984, ''Psyclapse'' and ''Bandersnatch'' (for the Platform/Commodore64 and the Platform/ZXSpectrum, respectively, although practically the same game) were in development for Imagine Software. Advertising promised much -- hardware dongles to support new features Never Seen Before on either system, and promoting the achievements of its outrageously large development team (of nine, nearly nine times the average for the time). Despite the hype, it eventually became clear that ''Psyclapse'' never got past the design stage, and ''Bandersnatch'' would need to sell for a ridiculous amount of money just to break even. By the time [[Creator/TheBBC the BBC]] arrived to film the spectacular successes of a Liverpool-based firm at the forefront of the then-upstart computer games industry, Imagine were absolutely in the toilet, and the BBC found themselves making [[http://youtu.be/ZoDh61sgCOg a cautionary tale about corporate excess]] that finished with the bailiffs arriving to repossess everything Imagine ever owned (and very nearly the BBC cameras, too). One of the splinter companies organized in the wake of Imagine's demise, Finchspeed, continued to develop ''Bandersnatch'', and a version for the Sinclair QL was allegedly completed but never released. Finally, the game was remade as ''Brataccas'' for the Platform/{{Amiga}}, Platform/AtariST and Platform/AppleMacintosh and published by Creator/{{Psygnosis}}, a new company that would also revive Psyclapse InNameOnly as a secondary publishing label. (Ocean Software likewise acquired the corporate name and associated trademarks of Imagine and assigned them to a development unit of its own.) ''Bandersnatch'' even inspired [[Film/BlackMirrorBandersnatch an interactive movie about struggling to develop a game]].

** Atari planned to follow up on the Platform/Atari7800 with the Atari Panther console, a 16-bit machine intended to compete directly with the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and Platform/SegaGenesis. However, it was developed simultaneously with the Jaguar, and when the Jaguar was further in development, Atari scrapped the Panther and skipped the fourth generation entirely.
** Atari planned to release a tabletop/handheld system, the Atari Cosmos during the 2600 era. It was to feature a holographic display, but Atari didn't have faith in the project's commercial viability and cancelled it late in it's development.
** Atari planned to follow up the Platform/AtariJaguar with the Atari Jaguar II, a seven-processor beast of a machine. However, the Jaguar flopped so hard it basically killed Atari Corporation as a company and ended hopes of a successor, with the Jaguar II never making it past the prototyping phase.
** The Platform/AtariJaguar was planned to have a model combining the CD attachment with the console. This may never have gone further than mock-ups, with the Jaguar's CD add-on selling poorly and Atari Corp. approaching bankruptcy at the time.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic_M2 Panasonic M2]] console was to have been the 64-bit successor to the Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer. Creator/The3DOCompany was working on an add-on to the original console and a standalone version, with the WorkingTitle 3DO II or Bulldog, becoming the 3DO M2, before being sold to Matsushita/Panasonic, to be released as the Matsushita M2 or Panasonic M2, and it was canceled very close to its announced 1997 release. {{Creator/Konami}} did release a few arcade games based on the [=M2=] architecture (namely ''Battle Tryst'', ''Polystars'', ''VideoGame/EvilNight'', ''Heat of Eleven '98'' and ''Total Vice'').
** The console was not released aside from some prototypes, and its technology was integrated into FZ-21S and FZ-35S multimedia players, ATM machines, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and coffee machines]].

* Rumors of a Game Boy successor began leaking in 1996. Nintendo later said it would be released at the end of 1997, but it ultimately never came out and instead they released the Game Boy Pocket. Eventually the similar Game Boy Advance would come out in 2001. In 2009 Nintendo released a photographs of the handheld, which was codenamed "Project Atlantis". It started development in 1995 but was canned in 1998 because it was too bulky and expensive to produce at the time. The Platform/GameBoyColor released in its place.

* ''VideoGame/Corridor7AlienInvasion'' was successful enough for the developers to immediately begin work on a sequel titled ''Corridor 8: Galactic Wars''. This got as far as a prototype (really a working mockup), running on the [[UsefulNotes/GameEngine Build engine]] and using assets from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', but Capstone's bankruptcy killed the game.

* The [=PS1=] of port of ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL '96'' was going to be ''Madden's'' first foray into the [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames 32-bit era]], but Creator/ElectronicArts canceled the game because it wasn't up to their ''quality of publishing standards''. Knowing EA's reputation for rushing out yearly installments and not caring about the final product as long it sells well, when they say a game is unworthy of being published, you know something is really wrong. The main problem is that it suffered a similar fate as ''VideoGame/JurassicParkTrespasser'', it was just too ambitious for the technology at time. The game was heavily hyped by Sony and judging by the pre-release images, it looked great, until it was later revealed that EA ''doctored'' the images. More info can be found [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150503103249/http://www.game-rave.com/psx_galleries/unreleased_madden96/index.htm here]] and you can read about all the problems it went through, see pictures, and watch videos on the prototype.

* ''VideoGame/ShogoMobileArmorDivision'' had two {{Expansion Pack}}s, ''Shugotenshi'' and ''Legacy of the Fallen'', neither of which was released due to a sudden drop in sales the month after the main game's release (traditionally blamed on the release of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''). Rumors of a sequel were substantiated by a tech demo of a new version of the [=LithTech=] UsefulNotes/GameEngine with images labeled "Shogo 2"; unfortunately, [=LithTech=] 3.0 turned out to be too buggy to be used in any released game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Swordquest}}: Airworld'' was cancelled very early due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. According to Tod Frye, the game's creative director, the actual game was only about 20% complete, and the comic-book tie in was never even started. All we know about the actual gameplay is that it would've been based on the ''I Ching'', an ancient Chinese text. That being said, in 2022 a version of the game came out in the compilation ''Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration'' to have the complete set.

** Although a developer did get the rights to use the [[UsefulNotes/GameEngine engine]], which was the basis for ''Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style''.

* In late 1982, The Great Game Company (which would later become [=GameTek=]) announced plans to adapt seven game shows into video games for the Atari 2600: ''Series/FamilyFeud'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ''Series/TheJokersWild'', ''[[Series/{{Password}} Password Plus]]'', ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/TicTacDough'' and ''Series/WheelOfFortune''. Unfortunately, they were being developed just as UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 started and the plans were put to an abrupt end. Of the seven games, only ''Feud'' got far enough for a prototype which is presumed to be lost.

* Three games based on ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' were announced by Parker Bros. for the Platform/Atari2600, but they only released one, ''Death Star Battle'', before abandoning video games due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. A prototype of "Game I" (also known as ''Ewok Adventure'') was discovered, but the second game, whose concept art suggests being based on the Battle of Sarlacc's Pit, appears to have never been programmed. Other unreleased titles announced by Parker Bros. included ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings: Journey to Rivendell'', ''[=McDonald's=]'', ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', and a ''Franchise/JamesBond'' game based on the TraintopBattle from ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''; prototypes of the first two have emerged.

* As buyers were shifting from consoles to computers during UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, Platform/{{Colecovision}} promised an expansion module that would essentially turn their console into an Adam computer in an attempt to draw in customers. It never went past the prototype stage possibly due to the negative reception of the Adam.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** ''Franchise/StarTrek'' point & click adventure game entitled ''Secret of Vulcan Fury'' was in development by Interplay during the late 1990's, and would have featured the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]] crew portrayed by the original cast in an episodic story. Each episode would focus on a different character, with the overall story revolving around an ancient Vulcan superweapon known as "Fury". While slated for a 1998 release and several [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fno_rZAt-KQ trailers]] were released, the game would sadly end up being quietly cancelled. Several [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ey31YCsJ5E animation tests]] and environmental renders were later released, showing, among other things, plans to include a ''[[http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/File:Secrets_vulcan_fury_-_bowling_alley.jpg bowling alley]]'' on the USS Enterprise as an EasterEgg. Even later, lead designer Ken Allen released a never before seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds_XKnhjRfA WIP gameplay demo]] that showed part of Scotty's chapter of the game. [[note]]Scotty's lines in this segment were recycled from [[VideoGame/JudgmentRites a previous game]], and no new dialogue ended up being recorded by the cast before the game's cancellation.[[/note]]. ''Franchise/StarTrek: The Secret of Vulcan Fury'' was heavily hyped for a 1997 release, featuring the full cast of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' reprising their roles and 3D character animation that could arguably rival Creator/{{Pixar}}'s work in animated film ''ten years later''. By 1999 the project had been cancelled due to Interplay's financial difficulties, key team members jumping ship, and a rapidly inflating budget.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4 Rose Golden'' is a GameMod of the Steam version of ''Persona 4 Golden'' that promised to add a female Hero, add various content to take account of the new Hero, and add new characters, models, and sprites, akin to the official female MC from ''Persona 3 Portable''. The project began back in November 2020, back when the Steam release was new, as a work-in-progress on [=GameBanana=] and the updates did raise hype from the fandom. However, this turned out to be DevelopmentHell instead, as the over-promising of the scope resulted in very slow updates not helped by the lack of a playable demo. In fact, after more than 3 years, the development progress remained at 0%, and this is confirmed by the withhold message when the mod team attemped to make a WIP page for the 64-bit version per the original game's 2023 multiplatform update, which said that what the work has so far still only covered ''less than 1%'' of the overall scope. [=GameBanana=] does not have faith in this mod anymore unless the mod team can make it clear they are confident in finishing it. More activity is supposed to be going on the mod's Discord server, but by this point fans' hype had died down and considered any more female MC addition ''Persona'' mods to be a curse because of ''Rose Golden''. This is to the point that a collaboration project to add the ''VideoGame/Persona3'' female MC to ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'' (where she is excluded) earned negative reactions on its Discord thread, in fear of this vaporware scenario happening again and crushing fans' hopes.

* ''N1RV Ann-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action'' was the upcoming sequel to ''VisualNovel/VA11HALLA'' by Sukeban Games, supposed to be released in 2018. A 15-minute demo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BuhVTeD9lc was then shown]] at PAX East 2019 and the release date delayed to December 1st 2020 and then "when it's done". A [[https://sukeban.moe/index.php/2023/06/21/project-updates-and-a-happy-anniversary/#more-1296 blog post by the devs]] from late 2023 mentions that they are still working on it, vaguely alluding to some problems behind the scenes.

* ''Literature/RailWars'' was supposed to get a video game adaptation on the PS Vita soon after the Anime version aired in the summer of 2014. However, the anime tanked, and the project quickly [[IncrediblyLamePun derailed]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** ''Mario Clash'' was going to be ''Mario Bros. VB'', and started as a minigame in the cancelled ''VB Mario Land'', known as ''Mario Adventure''.

* ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVs Sammy vs. Capcom]]'' was a potential crossover with Sammy Corporation, described as ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' with the look of ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''. The closest thing to this happening was Creator/ArcSystemWorks developing the fighting game spinoff ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara X'' in 2008.

* Some games based on Creator/ImageComics were advertised but not released. A ''ComicBook/Gen13'' game was announced for [=PlayStation=], N64 and Saturn. A ''ComicBook/{{Shadowhawk}}'' game on the SNES was not released, though prototypes have been found. ''[[ComicBook/{{Youngblood}} Youngblood: Search And Destroy]]'' was announced for [=PlayStation=] and PC, and was not released, though the PC version's demo is available.

* The ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'' remake/sequel is a really odd case. The Japanese release of the game was canned, but the game did make it into worldwide markets as a DolledUpInstallment featuring ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' characters. Japan (and regrettably, [[NoExportForYou only Japan]]) would get what the game was originally intended to be one generation later in ''Nintendo Puzzle Collection''.

** ''[[VideoGame/ThirteenThirteen Star Wars: 1313]]'', an amazing looking game about Boba Fett, was announced around E3 2012. In 2014, Disney confirmed they had dropped the ''Star Wars 1313'' trademark, though Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has stated some of the unused material may be used for another project.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrema Indrema L600]] (also known as the Indrema Entertainment System) by Indrema Corporation, an ambitious attempt at a UsefulNotes/{{Linux}}-based game console with a completely open development platform and hardware based on PC components, including a built-in DVD player and a built-in [=TiVo=]-esque DVR; seriously game-changing specs for 2000. A working prototype was exhibited in November 2000, but the company couldn't raise the capital needed to mass-produce it, making it defunct by April 2001, and it was overtaken by events when the Platform/{{Xbox}} and Platform/NintendoGameCube were released shortly afterwards after its proposed summer 2001 or later release date, and before that, the Platform/PlayStation2's release.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', among many others, were at one point meant to be released on the UsefulNotes/GameCom, believe it or not. We only know of their existence through screenshots from magazine previews and toy catalogues. None of these saw the light of day, though a near final version of ''Symphony of the Night'' running on the Game.com surfaced in late 2022.

** The oft-forgotten step between the UsefulNotes/{{SNESCDROM}} and the [=PlayStation=] involves Creator/{{Sega}}. Sega of America were in serious discussions with Sony to make a new Sega console using [=CD-ROMs=], but Sega of Japan nixed the deal, in part due to acrimony between [=SoA=] and [=SoJ=] over [=SoA=]'s greater success in marketing consoles and games.

* ''Agent'' by Rockstar. Revealed at E3 2009 as a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 exclusive title, and has been MIA since. Rockstar renewed copyright prior to New Year's 2017, but allowed it to lapse in November 2018. In late August of 2017, there was a supposed leak of new concept art alongside the long rumored ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' sequel having art released; Rockstar and Take 2 have not spoken on if this is real as of February 2020. It was only in October 2021 that the game--until then, still listed as a [=PS3=] title--was finally removed from Rockstar's website, seemingly sealing the game's fate.

** ''Aliens Interactive'' was going to be an interactive comic book game for the [[UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi CD-i]] featuring a story by Creator/DarkHorseComics, developed around 1991-1993, with a ''Film/{{Predator}}'' followup planned.

** ''Aliens vs. Predator'' was going to be a 2004 UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance game published by Creator/{{Ubisoft}}, based on the [[Film/AlienVsPredator 2004 movie]].
** ''Aliens: Colonial Marines'' was going to be a 2002 game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, unrelated to [[VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines the game released in 2013.]]

* ''Avalon'' was a VehicularCombat game by the Creator/ClimaxGroup in development for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/Xbox360, announced before either console was released.

* For a while, there were rumors about a third ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. It was later confirmed to have never gotten past the first stage of production; however, rumors about ''Baten Kaitos 3'' still persist.
* ''[[http://www.unseen64.net/2009/07/21/b-bomb-genesismd-cancelled/ B-Bomb]]'', a first-party UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis action game based around AssKicksYou, appeared at the 1992 Summer Consumer Electronics Show as a playable demo, but was never finished.

* The third game in the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' series was conceived as a platformer on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube before becoming the [[GenreShift vehicle-building game]] it is today. It would have been a semi-remake of the first game in the series, but with unexpected twists, such as the mountain in the first level erupting as a volcano. The vehicles were added because the levels ended up being ''huge'', so much that vehicles were necessary to navigate them in any reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately for Rare, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks most fans would have greatly preferred that kind of game and it probably would have sold much better]].

* ''Bounty Arms'', a 2D run-and-gun game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by Data West starring a pair of LovelyAngels with mechanical arms, was announced for the system in its early months. All that was ever released of the game was a playable demo of ObviousBeta quality, not counting the fact that it ends after half a stage.

* ''Break Shot'', a billiards game by Creator/{{Konami}} for the UsefulNotes/MSX2, was [[http://bifi.msxnet.org/msxnet/konami/breakshot/ advertised]] but never released.

* ''Campfire: Become Your Nightmare'' was a game that was being developed for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} by a Swedish company called Daydream Software, who only managed to put out [[https://youtu.be/75xsuaNunXk a live-action trailer]] and [[http://www.unseen64.net/2010/04/15/campfire-ps2-xbox-cancelled/ a press release]] before going into liquidation in 2003. It was to have been a "reverse SurvivalHorror" game where you play as one of four masked killers stalking and murdering teens at a campground with a variety of weapons, similar to the later games ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' and ''VideoGame/NaughtyBear'' only with more explicit SlasherMovie influences.

** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaResurrection'' was announced as a UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast launch title, featuring Sonia Belmont. Late in development, it was cancelled for reasons that remain mysterious. The fact that it was officially cancelled on the ''exact same day'' the [=PlayStation=] 2 launch date was announced, however, suggests Konami simply had no faith in Sega's console and canned it.

* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' was going to get a LicensedGame for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation called ''[=CatDog=]: Saving Mean Bob'', but the game was never released.

* The computer game adaptation of ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'', the pencil-and-paper superhero RPG, provides an epic example of this trope. Cover-featured in [[https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=93 a 1992 issue of ''Computer Gaming World'']], it promised to be an ambitious and groundbreaking game that would be faithful to both the RPG and the superhero genre. It never happened. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100801210351/http://www.gamespot.com/features/pcgraveyard_champions/index.html According to Steve Peterson]], designer of the original ''Champions'', the game was about 50% complete when it was canceled. Problems included the game's extremely ambitious design for its day along with the divorce of the game's chief developers, a husband-and-wife team. ''Champions'' would finally become a computer game in 2009 as ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'', but apart from the underlying intellectual property, it has no relation to the vaporware classic. Also, a ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' port for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 was eventually cancelled.

** ''VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}} 63 1/3'' was planned to be ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation under the title of Clayfighter [[XtremeKoolLetterz X-treme]] with all of the characters from Sculptor's Cut, the gameplay from the original ''63 1/3'' and one of the characters that was removed from the N64 games, a homeless parody of Robocop called, of course, Hobocop. The N64 Clayfighters themselves were a reworking of a canceled ''Clayfighter 3'' for the SNES and M2 console. An installment for the Nintendo DS and Wii, titled ''Clayfighter: Call of Putty'', was planned as an UpdatedRerelease of ''63 1/3''.

** A UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 ''Crash Bandicoot'' game was being developed by Cerny Games. After being cancelled, elements of the game were reworked into the game ''VideoGame/{{Knack}}''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' was going to have a UsefulNotes/PlayStation port. A ''Daikatana'' sequel was being developed by Human Head Studios on the Unreal Engine; when the project was cancelled, the developers began working on ''VideoGame/{{Rune}}''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' was going to be a 2003-2004 game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, featuring a series of fight scene vignettes emulating the comic stories. It was reworked as a WideOpenSandbox game to take advantage of Daredevil's radar abilities. It was reworked again as a level based game where the radar abilities became more useless in the narrower environments, and the game was cancelled. There were also plans for an ''ComicBook/{{Elektra}}'' game as a followup. The game would have had the Man Without Fear battle a number of familiar foes such as ComicBook/TheKingpin, Silvermane, Hammerhead and the Rose, have appearances by ComicBook/{{Elektra}} and Echo and have unlockable costumes such as his original red and yellow suit. Daredevil would have traversed through Hell's Kitchen either by swinging on his billyclub or by grinding (something Sony requested and Marvel was very wary of adding because Daredevil doesn't grind). There was also a precursor of the Detective Mode from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' based on Daredevil's Radar Sense. The game would have been based on Creator/FrankMiller's ''Elektra Lives Again'' and had Daredevil trying to stop a crime war when it seems the Kingpin was murdered. However, the game was shelved when Marvel, very unhappy with the fact that the studio making it, 5000 Ft., opted to side with Sony a little too much, refused to let it be approved. This wasn't counting the fact that there was an internal war between the old members of the team and new ones hired.

* ''Dead Phoenix'', a RailShooter, starring a WingedHumanoid named Phoenix, was one of the "Creator/{{Capcom}} Five" [[note]]along with ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', ''VideoGame/Killer7'', and ''VideoGame/PN03''[[/note]] set of games announced for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, and the only one that wound up being canceled.
* ''Dead Rush'' was an open-world action horror game for the [=PS2=], UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} announced in 2004 by Creator/{{Activision}}. It was to be developed by Treyarch[[note]]nowadays best known as the company that releases ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps on even]]-[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII numbered years]][[/note]], and given a release date of 2005. The game was essentially described as "''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' [[RecycledInSpace with zombies!]]"; it was to even use ''GTA''[='=]s style of "one big initial load screen and then no more after that" to make load times on all versions as minimal as possible, something that would have been impressive for a multi-console release of the time. The main character, an AmnesiacHero named Jake, had a WideOpenSandbox in which he could take on missions to help survivors during the ZombieApocalypse, and uncover the truth behind the zombie outbreak. One feature about the game that would have been unique for its time was that Jake could collect parts from broken cars and make new ones with the help of a WrenchWench, and the custom cars could have things like better armor and other attachments to make sure the cars could survive plowing through zombies (all cars would have had their own life bars of sorts).\\

* ''Deep Down'' was announced by Capcom at Sony's UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 announcement conference in February 2013 as a [=PS4=] exclusive title. Later on that year, it was announced that the game would be a free-to-play title. Apart from that, ''Deep Down'' has been conspicuously absent from trade shows and electronics expos that Capcom has been present at, and as of 2018 it still doesn't have a release date.

* ''Demonik'', the game featured in ''[[Film/GrandmasBoy2006 Grandma's Boy]]'', was going to be a game by Majesco Entertainment for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360.

** Before Creator/SquareEnix decided to localize ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, a fan translation was underway that was canceled due to a cease and desist.

** ''Duke Nukem: Chain Reaction'' and ''Duke Nukem: Proving Grounds'' were planned to be part of a handheld trilogy on [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DS]]/[[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]], following ''Duke Nukem: Critical Mass''.
** ''Duke Nukem: D-Day''/''Duke Nukem: Man of Valor'' was going to be another third person shooter, this time for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, following ''Duke Nukem: Time to Kill'' and ''Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes''.

** ''Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction'' was going to be a top down action RPG for PC, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4]] and UsefulNotes/XboxONE. Legal issues between 3D Realms and Creator/GearboxSoftware over the Duke Nukem license caused the game to be refitted into an original title, ''Bombshell''.

* ''Eight Days'' by SCE London Studio was a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 action game that was indefinitely put on hold in 2009.

* ''Endless Saga'' by Webzen was going to be an anime-style PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 MMORPG running on Unreal Engine 3.

* ''VideoGame/EternalChampions: The Final Chapter'' was advertised on early UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn retail boxes but was canceled not very far into development because Sega of Japan feared it would compete with their port of ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''.

** ''Fallout Extreme'' was going to be a squad based first-person and third-person tactical shooter on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} using the ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' engine.

** A ''Fallout'' top-down shooter was being developed for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by Creator/{{Interplay|Entertainment}}, along with a UsefulNotes/PlayStation port of ''VideoGame/BaldursGate''.

* ''[[VideoGame/FearEffect Fear Effect Inferno]]'' by Kronos Digital Entertainment, was going to be a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 sequel based on the first game's [[CuttingOffTheBranches best ending]].

* ''Fireteam Rogue'', an ActionAdventure game developed in the mid-1990s for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. Publisher Creator/{{Accolade}} intended it to be the launch of a major franchise, including a toyline and a TV series. For all its ambitions (Accolade promised over 100 hours of gameplay), and despite being previewed in several magazines, the game was never finished.

* ''Geist Force'', a ''Franchise/StarFox''-style shooter, was a prospective first-party launch title for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast in North America, showcased at E3 1998 before the Japanese release of the console. However, it was canceled at around 65-70% completion after a BilingualBackfire by Creator/YujiNaka [[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/12/yuji-naka-killed-dreamcasts-star-fox-says-former-sega-producer led to the project's five lead engineers quitting the team for greener pastures]].
* ''Gekido'' was a side-scrolling beat-'em-up released for the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation in 1999, that received a sequel for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance titled ''Gekido Advance: Kintaro's Revenge''. A second sequel titled ''Gekido: The Dark Angel'' was supposed to come out for UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable around 2006 but nothing outside of [[https://web.archive.org/web/20110128105143/http://www.gekidothegame.com/ a teaser]] was ever shown.

* Of particular note is the long promised, but still missing ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' {{MMORPG}}. Online connectivity (read: the ability to buy, sell, and trade items between other players) has also been long promised since ''Save The Homeland'' debuted. It finally appeared in limited form in ''Island Of Happiness'' via the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS' [=WiFi=].

* ''[[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Homestar Runner RPG]]'' was going to be an RPG running on the UsefulNotes/Atari2600, was announced in 2006, and was cancelled in 2008.

* ''VideoGame/ItCameFromTheDesert1989'' is a beloved ActionAdventure game by Creator/{{Cinemaware}} released for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, and it was subject to two console "ports" [[ReformulatedGame that were in practice significantly different games]], and only one of them got released. The UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 version was [[VideoGame/ItCameFromTheDesert1992 released in 1992]] (featuring vastly different minigames and live-action FMV sequences), but the planned UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version (meant to be an arcade-style overhead shooter) was set for 1990 but was then abruptly cancelled, with reports claiming that it was 99% complete before it got the axe. In 2001, [[VideoGame/ItCameFromTheDesert2001 a ROM of the near-complete prototype]] was officially shared by Cinemaware's rights holders for free download, [[https://www.eurogamer.net/it-came-from-the-desert-is-getting-an-extended-cut-on-sega-mage-drive and talks began in 2014]] for a cartridge-based [[ReCut "extended cut" re-release]] promising new cutscenes and additional content, though that never saw release either.

* A cancelled ''Justice League'' fighting game by Double Helix was planned as an UsefulNotes/Xbox360 tie-in to George Miller's cancelled ''Justice League'' movie.
* Despite the poor reception of ''VideoGame/KasumiNinja'', a sequel was greenlit by Atari for the UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar CD. Hand Made Games got to work on it, but quickly became one of many Jaguar developers to be ScrewedByTheNetwork as Atari's financial troubles at the time were hidden until ''after'' development had begun -- the sequel never saw the light of day with Atari's departure from the console market.

* [[http://www.50yearsofkimba.com/videogamestory.html There were plans]] for making video games of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', one for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and another for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, but both attempts ended up as vaporware.

** One particularly well-known example is a ''Kirby'' TwoAndAHalfD platformer for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]], which featured four player co-op and the Helper system from ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''. After being revealed in late 2004 and prominently shown off at E3 2005, it faded away with a "TBA" release date before eventually being scrapped altogether. An Iwata Asks interview revealed that this was the first of ''three'' attempts at a ''Kirby'' game with 3D graphics; the other two were a fully 3D game that fell through due to being too complicated, and a storybook-styled 2.5D game with Copy Abilities that could be powered up. Eventually, development was restarted one last time and resulted in 2011's ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', which combined elements from these three "lost games". 2018's ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' would properly reintroduce the Helper system, while ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' revisited the fully 3D concept.

** A UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket port was planned at some point but the poor sales saw it shelved.

* ''Kumite'', a 3D FightingGame featuring MotionCapture of martial artists and realistic damage modeling, would have been published by Creator/{{Konami}} for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. The game design proved too ambitious for its small third-party developer, a company known as 47-TEK, to bring anywhere near to completion.
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series has had a long history of finessing out of development and legal complications. However, its admirable run ended tragically with the cancellation of the sixth installment, to be titled ''Legacy of Kain: Dark Prophecy'' or ''Dead Sun'', after only three months in development. Only some concept art remains as evidence of its existence before evaporation. The game was intended to tie up all the loose ends from the series. Unfortunately: 1. Amy Hennig, the lead writer of the series, left Crystal Dynamics. 2. The person Hennig left in charge died before someone else could be chosen. 3. Crystal Dynamics was given the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series. And the first ''[=LoK=]'' sequel, ''Soul Reaver'', was originally intended to have a different conclusion, rather than a cliffhanger. This is evident in a number of sound files on the disc of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version of the game relating to an actual death of Kain followed by the apparent use of a giant cathedral organ to destroy all of the remaining vampires in Nosgoth. Afterward, though, he would've learnt that the Elder God was evil all along and this ending would lead into a different version of Soul Reaver 2. Also the concept of Wraith Blade being Raziel's soul was there from the start, but not to be realized in any version of Soul Reaver.

* ''The Lost'' by Irrational Games and [=FXLabs=] was going to be a third person shooter survival horror game to be released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, and was instead released on PC in India as ''Agni: Queen of Darkness'' with redone art.

* [=LucasArts=] Team Three studio came up with ideas for five or six UsefulNotes/NintendoDS games, including an animal-based platformer, a photo-examining detective game, and Caveland, a downloadable shooting game.

* Ports of the original ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' trilogy for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance were announced coming off the success of ''Metal Slug Advance''. Despite its near completion of the first game, it was ultimately canned due to memory constraints and the fact that its late release date on the system and the near release ''[[CompilationRerelease Metal Slug Anthology]]'' would've made the [=GBA=] ports obsolete. Efforts were then shifted to create ''Metal Slug 7'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS.

* ''Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship''/''Propeller Head Online'' by [=Sega AM2=], for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]]. It was a World War II airplane combat game with multiplayer deathmatch, and a SpiritualSuccessor to Wing Arms. The game was actually fully completed and was just about to release when the tragic [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001]] caused the game to be swiftly canceled. [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents It didn't help that the game contained a stage where the planes did battle in a city that resembled modern day New York.]] The game wasn't lost however, for a bootable disk image of it later got leaked onto the internet and it can be played in its entirety on both an emulator and an actual Dreamcast console by burning the image to a CD.
* ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy'' ended in the middle of a ''cutscene''. A planned sequel was never announced due to a lawsuit suggesting the concept was stolen. Midway won but, by then, it was in great financial trouble, ultimately going into bankruptcy and the current liquidation. It looks like ''Psi-Ops 2'' is never going to see the light of day. Also, the game was going to have a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] port, titled ''[=ESPionage=]'', that was cancelled.

** The original UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilZero'' was also scrapped halfway through development after it was shown off at TGS and [=E3=] in 2000, so that the game could be developed on Nintendo's succeeding console the UsefulNotes/GameCube. Unlike ''1.5'', the basic plot of the game remained the same in the finished version and the changes were primarily visuals, as Capcom upgraded the graphics to bring in more in-like with the ''Resident Evil'' remake that was being developed at the same time.
** The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor port of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' was canned at about 90% completion. Two ROM images were eventually released online, and even though both are unfinished, it's possible to play through almost the whole game between the two beta images. The UK's official Nintendo magazine actually ran a review for the Game Boy Color port of the original ''Resident Evil'', as it was canned so close to release that it was by all accounts actually finished. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilGaiden'' was launched as a replacement, and the ''[=RE1=]'' port languished in oblivion until [[http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/GameBoy/Resident+Evil+GBC/news.asp?c=37656 a prototype was finally discovered and ROM-dumped in 2012.]] ''Gaiden''[='=]s ending showed that Leon was the parasite B.O.W., which implied that the real Leon was either missing or dead. Naturally, the game is considered non-canon for various reasons, one of them being Leon appearing to be alive and well in future games.

** Someone who was working on Sadness revealed many years later that [[TroubledProduction production was extremely troublesome]] and that the only things completed were the script, concept art and one in-game object, a minecart. In 2014, Hull Breach Studios and Cthulhi Games had plans to develop the game (as a 2D UsefulNotes/WiiU release) and even announced the project on their website, but not long afterwards, it was said that the rights for Sadness are, confusingly, either not for sale or in a bidding war, and that there are 4 companies competing for the rights of the IP. The game seemed promising, and since Nibris was terribly incompetent with the development of the game, it would be better for another company to make it anyway. There is a possibility of the game surfacing after more than a decade, but who knows if that will actually happen. There is also a chance of it being different from the original concept; like mentioned above, they wanted to change the graphics to 2D.

** The series designer was working on a UsefulNotes/WiiU open world game that was cancelled.

* Nintendo was in talks with Sega to port ''VideoGame/{{Seaman}}'' to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS in 2012, but nothing ever came of it.

* ''Shadow of Atlantis'', first in development for the UsefulNotes/SegaCD and later for the 32X, was ultimately canceled in 1997.

** It was also going to be a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn game at first; Ryo has a Saturn in his house as a ShoutOut to this, despite the game being set [[AnachronismStew about a decade before the Saturn existed]].

* For ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'' franchise, there was a Smurfs educational game called ''Smurf Play & Learn'' advertised by Coleco that would have been released for the UsefulNotes/ColecoVision, as well as ''Smurfette's Birthday'' and ''Papa Smurf's Treasure Hunt'', none of which were ever worked on.

** Another ''South Park'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} was cancelled in 2005.

* ''Space Agency'' was an action RPG originally planned for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS by Audio, Inc. that was announced back in 2009. Sadly, the developers couldn't find any publisher for the project, most likely to the fact that Audio Inc.'s previous games, ''Sakura Note'' and ''VideoGame/{{Contact}}'', sold very poorly.

* ''Stage Debut'' was a cancelled first party UsefulNotes/NintendoGamecube title from 2004 that was announced in 2002. ''Stage Debut'' was a wacky game featuring characters from various Nintendo IP, such as ''Animal Crossing'', ''Pikmin'', and ''Super Mario Bros'', crossing over together. It was a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Mario Artist: Talent Studio'' and had similarly low poly graphics. The game was played using a peripheral for the GBA called the "Game Eye" (which was an ultimately never released successor to the VideoGame/GameBoyCamera) where you would take pictures of your face and put them into the game. The game also took advantage of the GBA's E-reader where, upon scanning ''Animal Crossing'' cards into the game, that villager would appear in the game (it's also speculated the ''Mario Party'' and ''Pikmin'' cards would have also been used). ''Stage Debut'' never came out but it was an inspiration for the Mii's and it does look a lot like the ''Tomodachi'' series.

** ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' by Rare was originally going to be a game called ''VideoGame/DinosaurPlanet'' for the Nintendo 64. It would've featured a wholly original universe and played very similarly to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. It also would've likely been the most technologically advanced game on the N64, spanning a massive 512 megabit cartridge[[note]]which would've tied it with ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' for having the largest cartridge sizes of any Nintendo 64 game[[/note]] and containing a giant open world to explore. At some point during development, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto noticed that the game's main character Sabre looked strikingly similar to ''VideoGame/StarFox'' hero Fox [=McCloud=]. It was also decided that the game would've ultimately been too ambitious for the N64's vastly outdated hardware. So, in early 2001, it was moved to the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and reworked into a ''Star Fox'' title. The game was released in late 2002[[note]]Rare's last official game on a Nintendo system[[/note]], and while it garnered pretty good reviews and solid sales overall, most people agreed that it probably would've been much better if Rare and Nintendo had left it as a new IP rather than shoehorning the ''Star Fox'' license into it.

** ''Star Wars: Ewok Adventure'', also known as ''Revenge of the Jedi: Game I'', was an unreleased UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game by Parker Brothers. Luckily, prototypes have been found.

** A ''Streets of Rage 4'' was being developed for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, but was instead released as ''VideoGame/FightingForce'' on the PC, [=PlayStation=] and [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 N64]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Sunman}}'' for the original NES was planned to be released in 1992 by Creator/{{Sunsoft}}, but never came out due to unknown reasons. (Development was contracted to EIM, a small Japanese company also responsible for ''VideoGame/PanicRestaurant''.) Its gameplay mechanics seem to hint, though, that they had planned to make this as a ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' LicensedGame, but Sunsoft couldn't keep the rights to the Man of Steel and had planned to make a game using the engine they had made with original characters. (Sunsoft was nevertheless able to release a similar ''Superman'' game for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis the same year, with the license intact.)

** ''Tetris'' was going to have a UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch port. It was touted as "Coming Soon" when ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' was released but cancelled because Nintendo thought it would hurt sales of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy version. It was eventually released as part of the Mini Classics line in 1999.

* ''VideoGame/ThunderForce VI'' was first announced for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, and an intro movie from late 2000 exists. The next year, Sega abandoned the console market, and Technosoft folded. The unreleased game's soundtrack was released. Creator/{{Sega}} ended up licensing the series and releasing an all-new ''Thunder Force VI'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 in 2008.

* ''Tyrannosaurus Tex'', by Slitherine Software, was going to be a single player FPS, with planned two-player deathmatch, on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Developed in 1999, the game was cancelled in 2001, due to publishers shifting focus to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

** ''Gorkamorka'', a ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''-licensed VehicularCombat game for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, was featured at E3 2000, but was never released.

* ''[=WiiWaa=]'' ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS later renamed]] ''[=WeeWaa=]'') was announced in 2009 by Swedish developer Zoink! Games as a platformer for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} with a novel concept: the game would be played using a custom plush toy based on the player character that would store the Wiimote, with levels and minigames played by handling the physical toy in various ways. While Zoink! secured a publishing deal with Majesco, production deals for the toy were underway, and the game itself effectively finished and submitted to Nintendo, the project ultimately fell through due to conflicts of production costs, as well as increased skepticism towards the viability of third-party Wii titles. After a few brief considerations with other publishers (including discussions with Creator/{{Ubisoft}}, although Zoink! declined as [[DolledUpInstallment Ubisoft wanted to retool the game into a]] ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids'' title), the project was vastly reworked into a mobile title, ''[=WeeWaa RockOn=]'', released on [=iOS=] and Android in 2012, largely recycling the assets of the already-finished game and without the physical toy concept.

** The developer had also planned on releasing ''Austin Powers: Oh, Behave!'', ''Dexter's Laboratory'', ''Duke Nukem D-Day'' and ''Mary-Kate and Ashley in ACTION!'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.

* Vaporware is not a new phenomenon. Way back in the 8-bit days of 1984, ''Psyclapse'' and ''Bandersnatch'' (for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64 and the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, respectively, although practically the same game) were in development for Imagine Software. Advertising promised much -- hardware dongles to support new features Never Seen Before on either system, and promoting the achievements of its outrageously large development team (of nine, nearly nine times the average for the time). Despite the hype, it eventually became clear that ''Psyclapse'' never got past the design stage, and ''Bandersnatch'' would need to sell for a ridiculous amount of money just to break even. By the time [[Creator/TheBBC the BBC]] arrived to film the spectacular successes of a Liverpool-based firm at the forefront of the then-upstart computer games industry, Imagine were absolutely in the toilet, and the BBC found themselves making [[http://youtu.be/ZoDh61sgCOg a cautionary tale about corporate excess]] that finished with the bailiffs arriving to repossess everything Imagine ever owned (and very nearly the BBC cameras, too). One of the splinter companies organized in the wake of Imagine's demise, Finchspeed, continued to develop ''Bandersnatch'', and a version for the Sinclair QL was allegedly completed but never released. Finally, the game was remade as ''Brataccas'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST and UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh and published by Creator/{{Psygnosis}}, a new company that would also revive Psyclapse InNameOnly as a secondary publishing label. (Ocean Software likewise acquired the corporate name and associated trademarks of Imagine and assigned them to a development unit of its own.) ''Bandersnatch'' even inspired [[Film/BlackMirrorBandersnatch an interactive movie about struggling to develop a game]].

** ''Scooby-Doo in the Castle Mystery'' was originally previewed in magazines as a ''VideoGame/DragonsLair''-like game for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum. The publisher ultimately decided the original concept was technically unworkable, and so commissioned a simpler game using the same license. This inspired ''Crash Magazine''[='s=] "Scooby Award" for much-delayed games.
** Music/SigueSigueSputnik's "Massive Retaliation" ends with an ad for an unreleased game: "Behold, the fifth generation of home computer entertainment. Get the Sigue Sigue Sputnik computer game from your favorite software house now." The game was mentioned in ''Computer and Video Games'' issue 60 and ''Commodore User'' issue 35, promising a September 1986 release date on the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, with plans for release on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum and UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC. Tony Gibson and Mark Harrison created a UsefulNotes/Commodore64 demo, labelled "Media Wars", in hopes of finding a publisher, but the original disks were lost after being left at a friend's house, who threw them out after a flood.
** The officially licensed ''Star Trek'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum (not to be confused with its various ports of the VideoGame/StarTrekTextGame) became a RunningGag in magazines like ''Sinclair User'' for its persistent failure to be released. It never did make it to the Spectrum, though as ''[[http://www.mobygames.com/game/star-trek-the-rebel-universe Star Trek: The Rebel Universe]]'' it did show up on the Commodore 64, Atari ST and PC.

** ''Macross VF-X2'': The cancelled UsefulNotes/PlayStation North American localization was to include English voice acting and an exclusive mecha.
** There was supposed to have been a game based on ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 by Sega. Not much was said about it beyond a simple ad.

** The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version of ''VideoGame/LufiaAndTheFortressOfDoom'', which was advertised with a delay ("It's worth the wait!"), but never released. The same company assigned to develop this port was [[http://opa-ages.com/forums/topic/74650-prototype-of-a-playstation-game-i-worked-on-in-1994/ also working on]] two other never-release games for Creator/{{Taito}}: ''Brimstone'' for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and ''Farstar'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.
** ''Lufia: Ruins Chaser'' for the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation, cancelled due to the bankruptcy of its developer. (Ideas from that game were used in ''Lufia: The Legend Returns'', which was developed by the same developer, Neverland, as the first two games in the series and the second's [[VideoGameRemake reimagining]].)
** ''Lufia: Beginning of a Legend'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, originally in development alongside ''Ruins Chaser''. (Unlike Ruins Chaser, the ideas used in this game were scrapped entirely rather than handed to Neverland.)

* Three games based on ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' were announced by Parker Bros. for the UsefulNotes/Atari2600, but they only released one, ''Death Star Battle'', before abandoning video games due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. A prototype of "Game I" (also known as ''Ewok Adventure'') was discovered, but the second game, whose concept art suggests being based on the Battle of Sarlacc's Pit, appears to have never been programmed. Other unreleased titles announced by Parker Bros. included ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings: Journey to Rivendell'', ''[=McDonald's=]'', ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', and a ''Franchise/JamesBond'' game based on the TraintopBattle from ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''; prototypes of the first two have emerged.

** Along with ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'', Vivendi Games planned to release more InNameOnly console action titles. ''King's Quest'' would be a console action game with King Graham wielding a huge sword, wearing armor, and doing flips. ''Space Quest'' by Escape Factory was to be an UsefulNotes/XBox/[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] action platformer.

** Cancelled ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' games include the 3D ''Leisure Suit Larry 8: Lust in Space'', ''Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party'' for the Platform/NGage by TKO-Software, and ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' sequel ''Leisure Suit Larry: Cocoa Butter'' for PC, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] and UsefulNotes/XBox.

** ''Half-Life Gold'' (''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' with the High-Definition Pack and ''Blue Shift'' expansion) was set to come out on the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. It was even featured on the cover of [=GamePro=] and had a strategy guide to Blue Shift. But due to an announcement by Sega that they would be ending production and support of the Dreamcast, the game was never commercially released. The game was eventually leaked onto the Internet, and outside of having LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading, it appears to be otherwise complete.

* Most UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy games. It was actually going to have a ''VideoGame/StarFox'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' game. The Virtual Boy had a number of unreleased games:

* This is OlderThanTheNES: the numerous never-released games for the UsefulNotes/{{Colecovision}} are pretty close. Some games, like ''Chess Challenger'' and ''Mr. Turtle'', were advertised on the system's box, but never saw release, most likely due to the end of the system's production run in 1984.

* Creator/OceanSoftware had a French subsidiary that specialized in porting UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s to the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}} and UsefulNotes/AtariST. Ocean France's ports of such games as ''VideoGame/{{Cabal}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Pang}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Toki}}'' were generally well-received, and ''Zero'' #19 included previews of their upcoming ST/Amiga ports of ''VideoGame/HammerinHarry'', ''Liquid Kids'' and ''VideoGame/SnowBros''. At least the Amiga versions of the latter two were completed, yet Ocean, apparently due to licensing problems, decided to cancel all of them and close Ocean France. The Amiga versions of ''Liquid Kids'' and ''Snow Bros'' were unearthed and leaked onto the Internet many years later.
* Creator/{{Psygnosis}}, somewhere in between the Sony buyout and the launch of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, canceled most of their upcoming [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Mega Drive]] games.
** The developers of ''Res-Q'' soon leaked copies of their otherwise unreleased game. A prototype of ''Bill's Tomato Game'', ported from the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}} by the same team, was later recovered.

** ''{{VideoGame/Mega Man|Classic}} Anniversary Collection'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance would have collected ''MM'''s five original Game Boy adventures. One speculation was that creator Capcom had lost the source code for the original games. Eventually, Capcom declared it too expensive to produce, and that the GBA was in decline anyway.

* The Aladdin Deck Enhancer [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] accessory was announced with several games that went unreleased, including ''Bee 52'', ''Big Nose The Caveman'', ''CJ's Elephant Antics'', ''Dreamworld Pogie'', ''F16 Renegade'', ''Go! Dizzy Go!'', ''Metal Man'', ''Mig 29 Soviet Fighter'', ''Stunt Kids'', ''Team Sports Basketball'', and ''The Ultimate Stuntman'', though some games ended up released on regular cartridges.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrema Indrema L600]] (also known as the Indrema Entertainment System) by Indrema Corporation, an ambitious attempt at a UsefulNotes/{{Linux}}-based game console with a completely open development platform and hardware based on PC components, including a built-in DVD player and a built-in [=TiVo=]-esque DVR; seriously game-changing specs for 2000. A working prototype was exhibited in November 2000, but the company couldn't raise the capital needed to mass-produce it, making it defunct by April 2001, and it was overtaken by events when the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} and UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube were released shortly afterwards after its proposed summer 2001 or later release date, and before that, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2's release.

** The Atari Mindlink was going to be a controller for the UsefulNotes/Atari2600, designed to be worn by the player while reading forehead movements with infrared sensors, to be able to play the games ''Bionic Breakthrough'', ''Mind Maze'' and ''Telepathy''. The peripheral was shown at CES, and after complaints of forehead pain, the peripheral was never released to the public.

** Atari planned to follow up on the UsefulNotes/Atari7800 with the Atari Panther console, a 16-bit machine intended to compete directly with the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. However, it was developed simultaneously with the Jaguar, and when the Jaguar was further in development, Atari scrapped the Panther and skipped the fourth generation entirely.

** Atari planned to follow up the UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar with the Atari Jaguar II, a seven-processor beast of a machine. However, the Jaguar flopped so hard it basically killed Atari Corporation as a company and ended hopes of a successor, with the Jaguar II never making it past the prototyping phase.
** The UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar was planned to have a model combining the CD attachment with the console. This may never have gone further than mock-ups, with the Jaguar's CD add-on selling poorly and Atari Corp. approaching bankruptcy at the time.
* During the era of the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, Creator/{{Nintendo}} and Creator/{{Sony}} were going to partner up and develop a console add-on for the system. On the day of Nintendo's stockholders meeting, Nintendo went through the proposed contract that Sony wrote up and discovered something shocking; if Nintendo agreed to Sony's contract, [[ReadTheFinePrint Sony would have full rights to all of Nintendo's intellectual properties, allowing them to create games based on Nintendo's franchises without Nintendo's permission]]. The discovery convinced Nintendo to tear up the contract and make a surprise announcement that they would be partnering with Phillips to create a different CD-based console, which itself was also scrapped.[[note]]The UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi resulted from that second partnership, the contract of which gave Phillips the right to make its [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames own]] [[VideoGame/HotelMario games]] featuring Nintendo's characters.[[/note]] The last-second snub led Sony to create the UsefulNotes/PlayStation years later. Who knows how things would have been if Nintendo stuck to partnering with Sony.

* A little before launching the Saturn, Sega was planning a system called the "Neptune", an integrated [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Mega Drive/Genesis and 32X]] which would've played both Genesis and 32X games. This was scrapped when it became apparent how absurd releasing this would be (as indeed releasing the 32X already had been) when the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn was just around the corner and also likely out of fear that it would interfere with the Saturn's momentum. That system's surprise launch in May 1995 (a mere ''six months'' after the 32X launched) probably didn't help. [[Franchise/{{Neptunia}} It still lives in spirit, though.]]
** The incident repeated with the Sega Pluto, a low-cost version of the Saturn meant to attempt to help salvage the Saturn's market share and reputation in the US. Ultimately cancelled because, well, Bernie Stolar was still head honcho of Sega of America and he hated the Saturn, period. Additionally, work on the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast progressed in parallel and had moved far along enough to be released as a product.
* Before there was the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, Sega was going to release its own handheld system with touchscreen... ''back in the mid-90s'', as the successor to the UsefulNotes/GameGear. Needless to say, the idea was way too ahead of its time, as development costs forced Sega to abandon its plans.
* Microsoft had considered creating a portable gaming device to compete with the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS and UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, with the working title of "Xboy". Despite the idea constantly coming up, it was ultimately shelved due to them being unable to focus on developing both the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and a potential handheld system.

* The highly publishized "Sega VR" headset for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UN_pN9ZU8Y]], which would have made it the first console to get VR, two decades before the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. The product even almost made it to production. Before release, it was pushed back to December 1993, before being delayed to late 1994, and subsequently cancelled. Unfortunately, for this one, it was Sega's own [[ScrewedByTheLawyers lawyers]] that pushed for the cancellation in the last minute: The reason given for its cancellation was that it was too dangerous: people could walk around while playing and accidentally injure themselves. The ''actual'' reason was that test results said prolonged usage made people dizzy and gave them headaches: The Genesis wasn't fast enough to handle VR without lagging and was causing motion sickness and disorientation in the beta participants, the latter further causing headaches and nausea. It was especially dangerous to children, who would almost always get motion sickness and headaches. One wonders if this would still be the case if the product was released ''after'' the [=32X=] which was released the next year.
* The [=ApeXtreme=] by Apex Digital was a CD and DVD based console planned for 2004, and would've included numerous multimedia features not unlike the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, including the ability to stream internet radio, view slideshows, and play movies. However, the console was quietly cancelled at the end of the year.

* Panasonic planned to release a portable game console called Jungle, intended to compete with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita. Its design could be likened to a foldable Blackberry phone with a trackpad and keypad. Had it released, it would've been Panasonic's second video game console after the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]]. However, Panasonic cancelled the project in 2011.
* Via presented the [=MoMA=] Eve handheld game console at [=E3=] 2004, and it would've featured a dual-analog control layout with a form-factor similar to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance SP (minus the folding screen). It was designed to play PC games along with games designed specificially for it, essentially making it a Steam Deck before the Steam Deck was even a thing. However, after its announcement, Via encountered a trademark issue regarding the console, and it ended up never releasing to the public.
* In 2000, Ericsson was working on a competitor to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance called the Red Jade. It would've resembled a UsefulNotes/WonderSwan and feature 5th generation-quality [=3D=] graphics, in addition to multiple PDA and multimedia functions. However, Ericsson was unable to find a partner to release the console, approaching Sony and Sega, Nintendo's chief rivals at the time, both declining to back the project. When Ericsson tried to go solo, the Dot-com bubble burst left them unable to fund the project, and it was quietly abandoned in 2001.

* The Ultravision Video Arcade System was going to be a combination game console, PC, and 10 inch color TV, supporting its own line of games in addition to being sideways compatible with UsefulNotes/ColecoVision and UsefulNotes/Atari2600 games. It would've supported 16-direction joysticks and support being hooked up to a ''car battery''. It never went past the prototyping stage.
* Many of the designs invented by Active Enterprises were doomed to fail from the start, but the most ambitious of these was their planned portable gaming console, the '''Action Gamemaster''': Conceived as a massive, foot-and-a-half wide beast with a 3.2 inch screen, this system would not only be compatible with proprietary game discs (including "killer app" Cheetahmen 3), but it would also house an expansion port that would accommodate cartridges for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo and the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, and it could also be used as a portable television set, with a projected price point of '''''500 dollars'''''. It seems as though Active were ''truly ahead of their time'' with their idea for a multisystem portable -- many of the Gamemaster's features now seem to have manifested in Sony's UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable instead. Or in Nvidia's case, the Shield Portable, which had a similar controller-with-screen form factor, sans the 18-inch device footprint. And that is without mentioning the various retro console manufacturers which do in fact include cartridge ports of multiple consoles on the same system, including the same three consoles the Action Gamemaster claimed to support.

** The game ''[[VideoGame/{{D}} D2]]'' was going to be released for the M2 console, and ended up being released on the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast.

* As buyers were shifting from consoles to computers during UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, UsefulNotes/{{Colecovision}} promised an expansion module that would essentially turn their console into an Adam computer in an attempt to draw in customers. It never went past the prototype stage possibly due to the negative reception of the Adam.

* Rumors of a Game Boy successor began leaking in 1996. Nintendo later said it would be released at the end of 1997, but it ultimately never came out and instead they released the Game Boy Pocket. Eventually the similar Game Boy Advance would come out in 2001. In 2009 Nintendo released a photographs of the handheld, which was codenamed "Project Atlantis". It started development in 1995 but was canned in 1998 because it was too bulky and expensive to produce at the time. The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor released in its place.

* The "Game Eye" was a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance SpiritualSuccessor to the VideoGame/GameBoyCamera. It was demonstrated at [=E3=] 2002 and due for a mid-2000s release but never came out.

** Cancelled ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' games include the 3D ''Leisure Suit Larry 8: Lust in Space'', ''Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party'' for the UsefulNotes/NGage by TKO-Software, and ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' sequel ''Leisure Suit Larry: Cocoa Butter'' for PC, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] and UsefulNotes/XBox.

** ''[[VideoGame/ClayFighter ClayFighter 2]]'' was announced for the 32X but was cancelled. A port/updated version of ''C2'' for UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer announced in a magazine ad, which would include Claytalities and new features.

** ''Star Trek: The Next Generation: A World For All Seasons'' was going to be a ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' adventure game for the [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]].

* Panasonic planned to release a portable game console called Jungle, intended to compete with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita. Its design could be likened to a foldable Blackberry phone with a trackpad and keypad. Had it released, it would've been Panasonic's second video game console after the UsefulNotes/ThreeDO. However, Panasonic cancelled the project in 2011.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic_M2 Panasonic M2]] console was to have been the 64-bit successor to the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer. Creator/The3DOCompany was working on an add-on to the original console and a standalone version, with the WorkingTitle 3DO II or Bulldog, becoming the 3DO M2, before being sold to Matsushita/Panasonic, to be released as the Matsushita M2 or Panasonic M2, and it was canceled very close to its announced 1997 release. {{Creator/Konami}} did release a few arcade games based on the [=M2=] architecture (namely ''Battle Tryst'', ''Polystars'', ''VideoGame/EvilNight'', ''Heat of Eleven '98'' and ''Total Vice'').

** ''Theme Movie Studio'' had a happy ending tho- somewhat. After several ''Bullfrog'' developers left the EA subsidiary to form Lionhead Studios, they took the concept of the game with them and that became VideoGame/TheMovies. Whether Lionhead's publisher Activision mistreated the franchise is subjective.

** ''Theme Movie Stuido'' had a happy ending tho- somewhat. After several ''Bullfrog'' developers left the EA subsidiary to form Lionhead Studios, they took the concept of the game with them and that became VideoGame/TheMovies.

* ''Metal Gear Solid: Rising'' was first unveiled in [=E3=] 2009 as one of two projects that would serve as a follow-up to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' alongside the PSP game ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''. The goal was to test Kojima Productions' ability to produce a new console Metal Gear entry without creator Creator/HideoKojima's direction, while Kojima himself would oversee the next portable installment instead. However, the resulting product did not meet the desired expectations and the project ended up being outsourced to Creator/PlatinumGames. Their version of the game, titled ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', (which was released in early 2013), ended up being radically different from the initial concept.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':

** ''VideoGame/KanColle'' was the earliest of the naval battle-themed games to tease the inclusion of her shipgirl form in its growing roster, with its primary developer Kadokawa having already released Alpha Art of her in supplementary materials ''[[http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/2312428 way back in 2013]]''. Unfortunately, she has yet to make her appearance as of early 2020. Coupled with the successive debut of foreign Navies (currently at Seven, the latest being both the Australian Navy and the Dutch Navy via the 2019 Fall Event), and the introduction of more unique ship variants like the coastal defense ships and escort carriers, for starters, the wait is expected to become longer.

* Jim Walls who designed ''VideoGame/BlueForce'' and the first three entries in the ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' series, has tried to make a similar game called ''Precinct'' but its Kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful.